Scent Name: Antonino, The Carny Talker
Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Carnaval Diabolique, Act II: Fiat Nox
Scent Description and Notes: “As you approach an enormous patchwork tent, a curious sound catches your attention: the rattle of bones and the tinkling of tiny bells heralds the arrival of a gaunt and ghastly creature. An animated skeleton dressed in a jester’s motley saunters towards the front of the tent, waving an orange and black striped cane at the crowd in an effort to clear a path. The jester makes his way past the fog-shrouded, faded, colossal posters that adorn the tent to a platform in front of the massive tent’s entrance. His ivory smile frozen in a gleeful rictus grin, he steps up onto the platform, taps the cane three times, and the jester costume vanishes. Suddenly dark eyes appear in the empty sockets, bones are wrapped in muscle, sinew grows over the bones, blood fills rapidly appearing veins. Before your eyes, the skeletal jester has become a dapper, handsome man, dressed in black and orange, with a skull-ornamented straw hat tilted jauntily upon his shining black hair.
His smile is slick and conspiratorial. With a flourish and arcing wave of his cane, he booms:
“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! This is Carnaval Diabolique’s notorious 13-In-1: the finest freak show in all the Hells! What marvels await you, you ask? Simply the strangest and most fantastic creatures, human and inhuman, gathered for your entertainment, enlightenment and erudition!”
With the cane, he gestures at the gigantic posters that adorn the tent. The images, once hazy, suddenly come into focus.
“From the depths of the Black Forest: Arachnina, the Spider Girl! From the rain-swept streets of London: Hope and Faith, the Siamese Twins! From ruins of old Aquae Sextia: Wulric, the Wolf Man!
“Thalassa, the Galapagos Mermaid! A vision of life-in-death, Eshe!
“All in all, THIRTEEN anatomical curiosities, miracles of genetics, magick and science, masters of marvels, ALIVE ON THE INSIDE!”
White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.” – https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/carnaval-diabolique/carnaval-diabolique-2015/antonino-carny-talker/
Oil Color: – (Cannot tell in brown apothecary bottles)
Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle. The label extends just under halfway around the bottom. The label features the name of the company along the top and the name of the scent along and with the words “limited edition perfume oil blend” on the bottom in grey font against a tanned leather brown text box field. The image is of a man seeming to show a crowd into the carnaval with his tiger-print cane, who is also wearing a skull-adorned hat askew.
Scent:
- ITB: The lavender and verbena are rather strong together, making the scent seem more masculine than I had anticipated.
- Wet: The lavender has softened some and is now followed by the musk, then the verbena. I can pick up a hint of vetiver, but it’s nowhere as strong as it usually is on my skin.
- Dry: As it starts to dry, the lavender amps big time, followed by the verbena and vetiver. I can get what tony is saying about the pine, but it’s like walking into a lavender field – almost overwhelming. Now that it is completely dry, the vetiver, verbena, fig, and coconut come out and mingle with the lavender. It reminds me of a man wearing a nice cologne but who is also smoking very expensive tobacco.
Other Impressions: “I wasn’t expecting that much pine. It’s pine-y, herb-y, and lemon-y. Very herbal. It’s nice, but you really don’t need very much of it at all.” -Tony